1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates generally to power distribution in a semiconductor device.
2. Related Art
A break point (or, a jumper) in power mesh may be encountered to allow a signal line to run across power mesh without a break, when the power mesh and the signal line are in the same layer of metal. Similarly, a break point in the power mesh may also be encountered in case of a bump pad and a power mesh of alternate supply, e.g. in case of a VSS bump pad and a VDD power mesh. The use of VIAs in such break points contributes to an increased power mesh resistance, with VIA resistance playing a significant role. An increased power mesh resistance, in turn, causes degradation of the frequency of operation and of the active power of a semiconductor device. As supply voltages in semiconductor devices are scaled down, it becomes even more important to improve power distribution.